Spend any time at the county-run hospital near Watts and it's easy to reach the same conclusion: Patients linger unattended, walls are gouged with holes, mattresses are worn and stained, even ink cartridges are in short supply.

The numbers, however, tell a different story. Though widely believed, the notion that King/Drew is being shortchanged is false.

The difference is stark when King/Drew is measured against the three other general hospitals run by Los Angeles County.